The one where I account for the last year of my life

So, once again, this blog has kind of been left alone for, woah, almost a year. And that’s mainly because I just haven’t been doing a lot. Or at least I wasn’t, until about 5 months ago, when I suddenly got insanely busy and didn’t have time to write anyway.

London Skies

After my epic trip to Colorado this time last year, I spent a couple of weeks back at camp and, to be honest, it was probably the toughest couple of weeks I’ve ever had. I think after being surrounded by people for so long, going back to camp when it was completely empty was a big shock to the system. And I really didn’t love it. So much so that it really got me into a bit of a state emotionally, which led to me making the tough decision to cancel my Central American travel plans and head straight home to London after a few days in New York. At the time, that decision was heart breaking and I was devastated and disappointed in myself that I didn’t go through with my plans. But actually, I think it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Took a trip to Switzerland this year!

I spent a few months getting my head on straight and deciding what my future would hold. I got a job at the nursery where I did my student placement the year before, which was so good for me and so much fun. I made great friendships there and incredible bonds with my kids and their families, and just learned a huge amount about working with the wonderful tiny humans. This job showed me that I made such a great decision in going back to school to qualify as an Early Years Teacher and put me back on a successful and fulfilling path. I also moved out of home and in with some friends, right around the corner from work. We had such a great time, just hanging out, catching up and venting about teacher life (one of my housemates was also a teacher).

I spent a lot of time with family too

And then before I knew it, it was time to head back to camp for summer number 8! 8 years… wow! And this year I was in a whole new role of Program Director, which had plenty of new and exciting challenges.

This summer at camp has been one of the best, if not THE best. I have loved my new role more than I thought possible, and I have learned more than I ever imagined. I won’t bore you with all the ins and outs of the last 5 months at camp (you can read all about my summer over on my other blog Summer Camp Secrets), but it’s been pretty special.

Summer camp, my 2nd home!

And now I have just a few days left here in my second home before heading back to NYC until my flight next week. It’s going to be very strange leaving here and heading off on the next adventure. It’s been almost 5 months since I arrived and I haven’t really thought about the outside world since.

But where am I going, I hear you ask? What is this new adventure?

Lake times in the USA

Well, alongside two of my camp friends, Conor & Hayden, I’ll be flying to Ecuador on Tuesday to kick off a two-month trip through South and Central America! It almost feels like things have come full circle and I’m in such a different place now than I was this time last year. We’re planning on travelling through Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica, and I am more than excited. So far, we’ve booked our first flight, first 2 nights in a hostel and that’s it. And that’s kind of terrifying and thrilling at the same time. It’s been a while since I’ve done this sort of open ended travel, in fact the last time was when I went to Costa Rica & Panama back in 2015, so it’s going to be super fun to get back into it and take the boys to some places I’ve been before, as well as exploring 2 brand new countries!

Me and my new travel buddies

That’s pretty much all for now, but I’m definitely going to have more stories to tell over the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled, and check out my instagram stories for regular updates!